Poker is a popular card game which has traditionally been played in casinos and poker rooms. Various versions of the game have been developed over the years. In the recent past, a multitude of such games have become available online with a host of geographically separated players via the Internet. Similarly, conventional combat video games have become available online with geographically separated players able to play each other via the Internet.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,614 discloses a poker game in which a partial hand is provided to a player after initial wager. The actual hand of poker involves the potential for at least two distinct games of poker being playable from that partial hand. The player may then elect to play one or more of the potential games from at least two distinct games of poker available for play with that hand. The nature of the at least two distinct games is that at least two of the games which may be played from the partial hand require decisions to be made where a decision with regard to a election of play strategy in one poker game that is intended to have or assist in getting a positive outcome is likely to have a negative effect or comprises an adverse strategy in the play of the second game. Various pay tables are provided that differ from each other, with respect to each single game, depending upon whether the player elects to play a single game with the partial poker hand or elects to play at least two games with continued play of the partial poker hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,367 discloses a self-learning gaming machine that comprises a game of chance executed by a processor in response to a wager. The game includes a plurality of symbol-bearing indicia and an adjustable parameter. The adjustable parameter is adjusted by the processor for future plays of the game based on a player's selections affecting outcomes of at least one previous plays. During the previous play, the player's selection is made after the plurality of symbol-bearing indicia are displayed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,765 discloses a hint feature in a casino game such as an underlying gaming machine having a casino bonus game on a random, prevailing position, and/or hesitation basis. The patent discloses a method for providing a hint with information to the player of a casino game so as to increase the player's expected value and, therefore, to win more at the casino game. During operation of a casino game, a hint feature is displayed during a displayed decision-making game round under control of a processor. If the player follows the information found in the displayed hint, the player's expected instantaneous return from the casino game is increased. The displayed information may be the correct response, eliminating an incorrect response, and/or a response that increases the player's odds in correctly responding. For example, in a knowledge-based game displaying a question with three possible answers, the hint may be the correct answer, eliminating one of the two incorrect answers, and/or information suggesting the correct answer.
While the prior art discloses variations of conventional poker games or conventional computing games that incorporate some war or combat strategy into the overall progress of the game, to date, electronic combat games have failed to effectively integrate certain compelling, strategic features common to card games like poker, such as bluffing, into actual combat scenarios. Therefore, there is a need for a new and challenging combat game that combines the popular elements of traditional card games, such as poker, with the thrill of virtual combat.